Blogs

October 10, 2014

North Dakotaâ€™s roadside pheasant survey conducted in late July and August indicates total birds and number of broods are up statewide from 2013.

Stan Kohn, upland game management supervisor for the North Dakota Game and Fish Department, said the survey shows total pheasants are up 30 percent from last year. In addition, brood observations were up 37 percent, while the average brood size was down 4 percent. The final summary is based on 253 survey runs made along 106 brood routes across North Dakota.

October 9, 2014

The deadline is months away, but now is the time to frame the perfect photograph for a contest that will determine the cover of the 2015 Private Land Open To Sportsmen guide.
From end-of-day hunting shots, to scenic action or landscape shots, the North Dakota Game and Fish Department wants to feature hunter photos on the 2015 PLOTS cover and elsewhere that showcase North Dakotaâ€™s strong hunting heritage.
The departmentâ€™s free PLOTS guide, which highlights walk-in hunting areas across the state, was first published in the late 1990s.

October 8, 2014

The North Dakota Game and Fish Department is taking orders for its North Dakota OUTDOORS calendar, the source for all hunting season and application dates for 2015. Along with outstanding color photographs of North Dakota wildlife and scenery, it also includes sunrise-sunset times and moon phases.
To order, send $3 for each, plus $1 postage, to: Calendar, North Dakota Game and Fish Department, 100 N. Bismarck Expressway, Bismarck, ND 58501-5095. Be sure to include a three-line return address with your order, or the post office may not deliver our return mailing.

October 7, 2014

Motorists are reminded to watch for deer along roadways, especially this time of year, because juvenile animals are dispersing from their home ranges.
October through early December is the peak period for deer-vehicle accidents. Motorists are advised to slow down and exercise caution after dark to reduce the likelihood of encounters with deer along roadways. Most deer-vehicle accidents occur primarily at dawn and dusk when deer are most often moving around.

October 6, 2014

Results from this summerâ€™s bighorn sheep survey indicate the population in western North Dakota is lower than last year.
State Game and Fish Department big game biologist Brett Wiedmann said the July-August survey showed a minimum of 287 bighorn sheep, down 4 percent from 2013. Results revealed 82 rams, 153 ewes and 52 lambs.

October 5, 2014

Resident youth hunters, regardless of age, must possess a fishing, hunting and furbearer certificate and general game and habitat license. Nonresident youth hunters from states that provide a reciprocal licensing agreement for North Dakota residents qualify for North Dakota resident licenses. Otherwise, nonresident youth hunters must purchase a nonresident small game license.

October 3, 2014

The 2014 North Dakota pheasant season opens on October 11, 2014 and hunters are likely to find a few more roosters in the fields this fall.
NDGF upland game management supervisor Stan Kohn talks about the upcoming 2014 pheasant season. Click here to Watch! This weekâ€™s North Dakota Game and Fish Department webcast, Outdoors Online, is now online at http://gf.nd.gov.http://gf.nd.gov/publications/television/outdoors-online-webcast

October 1, 2014

Out-of-state hunters are reminded that state law does not allow nonresidents to hunt on North Dakota Game and Fish Department owned or managed lands during the first week of the pheasant season.
Private Land Open to Sportsmen acreage and state wildlife management areas are open to hunting by resident hunters only from Oct. 11-17. Nonresidents, however, can still hunt those days on other state-owned and federal lands, or private land.

September 30, 2014

Aquatic nuisance species surveillance efforts along the Red River in eastern North Dakota have again detected the presence of zebra mussel young at Wahpeton.
North Dakota Game and Fish Department ANS coordinator Fred Ryckman said zebra mussel larvae were also present in the same area in both 2010 and 2011, but were not found in the past two years.
â€śSince we have found zebra mussel young in this area before, and because there are established adult populations upstream in the Otter Tail River in Minnesota, finding a few young this year really didnâ€™t come as a surprise,â€ť Ryckman said.